UW Ranked No. 3 on National Best-Value College List

Students who decide to attend the University of Wyoming are very likely to enjoy a return on their investment, according to a new list of best-value universities across the country that ranked UW No. 3.

Growella, a consumer website that specializes in finance, career and life advice, ranked universities based on the amount of student loan debt among graduates, the starting pay of graduates as well as other factors such as how much financial aid universities give to their students, UW says. Using that information, Growella ranked universities using an average “student loan payment –to salary” ratio.

UW fared well, with a ratio of 20.17 percent, which was only behind Fresno State University at 20.01 percent and Georgia Tech at 20.02 percent.

Growella examined information from the 2015-2016 academic year, the last for which numbers are available, to rank UW. During that year, only 45 percent of UW students graduated with student loan debt. Those who did have student loans had about $5,232 less than the national average. UW graduates were also placed in relatively high paying jobs, meaning a smaller percentage of their paycheck went to student loans each month.

Other schools who ranked in the top 10 include Iowa State University, Harvard University, Utah State University and Princeton University. The full list can be viewed here.

Last year, Student Loan Hero ranked UW as No. 1 on their list “20 States Where College is With the Cost.” States were ranked based on the cost of a bachelor’s degree in each state and how much those with bachelor’s degrees earn in those states.